


Five Rides Home

by EthanBissbort (ebissbort)



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Alive Laura Hale, Alternate Universe - High School, Beacon Hills High School, Derek Hale & Stiles Stilinski are the Same Age, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, High School Student Derek, M/M, Pining, Same Age Derek Hale, Slow Build Derek Hale/Stiles Stilinski
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-15
Updated: 2017-12-09
Packaged: 2019-02-02 21:44:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 9,533
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12734901
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ebissbort/pseuds/EthanBissbort
Summary: Stiles sees Derek walking home in the rain through the window in Harris's classroom. Knowing about the fire which killed the whole Hale family, save Derek and Laura, he decides to make sure Derek never walks home like that again. Of course he does everything in the annoying yet endearing manner that is classic Stiles.





	1. The First Ride

**Author's Note:**

> This is non-beta'd :|  
> Continuation of a tumblr ficlet which has since been deleted :(
> 
> I had a blast writing this, and would love to hear what you guys think.

The rain continued the next day, and every time Stiles looked out the window, the image of Derek walking in the rain played through his mind.  
Harris's lecture, the last of the day, was too boring for Stiles, so he looked out the window. He spotted Derek leaving one of the other buildings. He didn't even react as he walked into the rain.  
The bell rang and Stiles' jumped up, deciding that he was going to do something.  
He clapped Scott on the shoulder saying, "Hey, I'll catch you later."  
Scott looked on in confusion as Stiles rushed out to his jeep.

He threw his bag into the jeep unceremoniously and started it up. He peered around and spotted Derek leaving the parking lot. He was walking just like the day before: shoulders squared, steady pace, soaking wet at this point, and no jacket.

Stiles zoomed up to him and cut him off. Derek's head snapped up and he gave Stiles a death glare.  
"What the hell are you doing?" He asked when Stiles rolled down the window.  
"Telling you to stop being a stubborn, brooding ass and get in." Stiles said flatly.  
Derek turned and walked away again.  
"Seriously what's the point of walking so far in the rain? You'll just get sick and be even more miserable!" Stiles shouted after him. Derek acted as if he didn't hear.  
"Punishing yourself won't bring them back..." Stiles said softly to himself, his thoughts flashing back to his mom.  
To Stiles surprise, Derek stopped and turned back.  
"Why do you even care?" He demanded, crossing his arms across his chest, unflinching as the rain pelted his face.  
"Because." Stiles said lamely, not really wanting to talk about his mom.  
"Uh huh." Derek said, his arms sliding apart, dropping to his sides.  
Stiles reached over and pulled the door handle, letting the door swing open.  
Derek huffed and walked over, avoiding eye contact as he climbed in.

Stiles drove them out of the parking lot, but stopped at the stop sign and looked over at Derek awkwardly.  
"Um." Stiles started, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel uncomfortably.  
"I live with my sister Laura." Derek said, pointing out of the window to the right.  
"Oh, ok, I wasn't sure if you, well, you know-" Stiles floundered, trying to defuse the awkwardness.  
"I know." Derek said shortly, staring out of the window.  
Stiles let the awkward silence fall between them, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel.  
Derek reached over and turned the radio on, classic rock instantly flooding the cabin. He looked back out the window, his head bobbing almost imperceptibly to the beat.  
Stiles looked over and studied Derek for a second, deciding that he at least had good taste in music. Gorgeous with good musical taste, but definitely standoffish, stubborn, and broody.  
Derek told Stiles to turn right at the light and Stiles did, surreptitiously eyeing Derek as he made the turn.

When they got to the outskirts of town, Derek abruptly declared, "This is good. Let me out here."  
Stiles slowed the jeep, but didn't stop.  
"Why here?" Stiles inquired, peering around at the emptiness.  
"I can walk from here." Derek said flatly, pulling his bag up onto his lap.  
"Or, rather, I can actually drop you off. We have the same biology class, I don't know if you've done the homework for next week but..." Stiles said, hoping to see if Derek would open up.  
"I'm good." Derek said, looking back out the window.  
Stiles rolled his eyes and asked, "Is that good on the homework? Or...?"  
"The homework." Derek intoned as he pointed at a mailbox on the side of the road.  
Stiles pulled over and Derek grabbed his bag, climbing silently out of the jeep. As he shut the door, he glanced over his shoulder and opened his mouth, but turned and walked away.

Stiles shook his head slightly as he put the jeep in gear.  
"Nobody who is that pretty and smart should ever be that sad. It's criminal." He said to himself before driving off.  
When he looked in his rear view mirror this time, Derek was watching him drive away.


	2. Second Ride

The sun was shining the next day, and Stiles secretly cursed it. He thought he was making progress with Derek, but the lack of rain meant a lack of Derek in need of a ride.  
Scott looked over at him, giving him a look of sympathy.  
"Sorry. I know you wanted to try again today with Derek." Scott said as the bell rang and they headed out to the parking lot.  
"Ugh. It's just whatever. Guy or girl, no luck for me. This week is shit. Full moon for you on Saturday, so yeah..." Stiles lamented as they walked up to Scott's bike.  
Scott gave him a bro hug and hopped on his bike.  
Scott lifted the visor on his helmet, "I'll see you in a couple hours, ok? Biology homework! I’ll be fine until Saturday, ok?"  
"Yeah, sure." Stiles said noncommittally, waving and walking to his jeep.

With a dejected sigh Stiles climbed into Roscoe and drove out of the parking lot.  
As he turned, he noticed Derek standing there, exactly where Stiles picked him up the day before.  
Stiles drove up slowly and rolled the window down as he pulled to a stop near Derek.  
"Hi." Stiles said hesitantly.  
Derek looked over and raised his eyebrows.  
"I know it's not raining. But you don't have to walk so far." Stiles said with a shrug.  
Derek frowned and then shrugged his bag off his shoulders and climbed into the jeep.

Before pulling out, Stiles turned the radio on, then took the same route, getting to the mailbox more quickly this time.  
"You can turn in here." Derek said without looking at Stiles as the Jeep began to slow as they approached the end of the driveway.  
"Ok." Stiles said with a quick nod, and turned into the driveway next to the mailbox.  
The driveway was long, curving so that the house it led to was hidden by the trees lining the road. Eventually, Stiles pulled up at a nice house with a black Camaro parked in front of the garage.  
Derek climbed out, again silently and without eye contact.  
A grinding sound emanated from the transmission as Stiles put the jeep in gear. Just as he was about to drive off, he heard Derek call to him.  
"Stiles?" He heard through the open window.  
He turned and looked over at Derek in surprise, he had never told Derek his name.  
"Have you done the bio homework?" Derek asked, looking down at his phone.  
"Not yet." Stiles said, shaking his head.  
"You can park over there." Derek pointed to a portion of the driveway that looped in front of the house.  
Stiles nodded and drove into the loop, parking in front of the front door.  
Although Stiles thought it wasn't exactly an invitation, he realized that for he and Derek interacting, it was a huge step.  
Looking around at the yard and house, Stiles walked up to the front door, where Derek was waiting for him.  
There was a click, and Derek opened the door silently, walking inside. Stiles followed him and looked around as they went inside the empty, spartan house. No pictures, no artwork, nothing that identified who really lived here. Stiles realized that Derek and Laura were avoiding reminding themselves of their losses by leaving the house as spartan as they could.  
Derek led him upstairs to the first bedroom on the right.  
"Did you read the chapter already?" Stiles asked as he kneeled down to extract his book.  
"Yeah. You?" Derek asked as he pulled out his homework and laid on his bed.  
His eyes ran down Derek's back as Stiles stood up, right to the very well shaped mounds that formed Derek's butt.  
He looked away as Derek looked up.  
"Oh, I- um, no." Stiles stammered as he held his biology book and homework up.  
"Ugh. Ok." Derek said, shaking his head as he started to work on the homework sheet.  
Stiles scoffed, "I'll have you know I can finish the chapter and the homework before you!"  
Derek shook his head silently and kept working.  
"You're on." He muttered after a few seconds without looking up at Stiles.  
A grin crossed Stiles' face, and he laid on the floor, setting the book and paper side by side.

Stiles was almost done with the homework, madly scribbling on his page, knowing that Derek was also close to completing his homework as well.  
His phone buzzed and he glanced over. Scott was texting him, asking where he was.  
Stiles quickly texted him back that he was busy and would be very late, but would make up for it with completed homework to share. Scott was skeptical, but Stiles dismissed it and went back to work.  
When he locked his phone, he noticed in the reflection on the darkened screen that Derek was looking at him.  
Stiles looked up, Derek immediately turned back to the homework as Stiles said, "Done yet?"  
"Been done." Derek said nonchalantly, gathering the papers up and rolling off the bed.  
"What? But- how!?" Stiles exclaimed, pushing himself up and stalking over to scrutinize the papers that Derek just laid on his desk.  
As Stiles reached out to take them, Derek's hand shot out and grabbed his wrist.  
"You're smart enough to do your own work." Derek said.  
Stiles stood there stunned, then huffed after Derek released him, and went to sit back down at his own work.  
Derek sat at his desk and pulled out a book.  
"How'd you know my name?" Stiles asked quietly as he continued to work on his assignment.  
Derek paused and remained silent for a moment.  
After placing a bookmark at the page he was at, Derek admitted, "I know your dad is the sheriff. I've seen you two together in town before."  
"Right, and that doesn't mean you know my first name." Stiles responded, looking up at Derek, clearly dissatisfied with the answer he had been given.  
"When Mrs. Martin calls on you in bio." Derek said sheepishly.  
"Makes sense I guess." Stiles said, finishing his homework with a flourish.  
"Also, that's what Finstock calls you at lacrosse practice." Derek added as Stiles stood up and snapped his book shut.  
"Huh? You're not on the team, are you? How'd I miss that?" Stiles said, his eyebrows knit together in confusion.  
"I watch the practices because I want to play. Next semester." Derek said, looking over at a small trophy that sat on a book shelf.  
Stiles eyes followed Derek's and noticed that the trophy had soot and singe marks. His heart throbbed as he realized that Derek had salvaged that from the house after the fire.  
"So you play sports. Cool, cool. Do you do other things?" Stiles asked, his eyes lingering on the smudges Derek had left on the trophy as a reminder.  
"Well I used to play lacrosse and basketball." Derek said, then looked silently over at the collection of books that lined the rest of the shelf.  
"I guess you read. A bit." Stiles offered after a few seconds.  
"Yeah." Derek said, looking back down at his book.  
Stiles stood there awkwardly, then gathered his stuff up saying, "Well, I should probably-"  
"Yeah." Derek said simply, closing his book and wordlessly leading Stiles downstairs. They didn't make eye contact, but out of the corner of his eye, Stiles kept noticing Derek stealing little glances at him.  
Derek opened the front door for him, and Stiles turned and smiled at him.  
"See ya!" He said cheerily before stepping over the threshold.  
Derek actually made a small noise of acknowledgement in response and Stiles beamed as he walked to his jeep.  
Stiles shook his head as he climbed into the jeep, “Ugh, he’s so smart, hot, and now nerdy? The tradeoff has to be that he’s bound to be straight, of course. I can never win, so there’s got to be something.”


	3. “You need a friend. I just know these things.”

Stiles hadn’t seen Derek outside after class for nearly a week, so he made it a point to blow off Harris’ lecture that afternoon to camp out the library wing that Derek always seemed to exit from.  
Halfway through the scheduled class time, the library door swung open and Derek marched out, his head almost immediately swiveling to where Stiles sat.  
“Oh, it’s you.” Derek said, hesitating for a second before continuing to head towards the parking lot.  
“You know, ‘you’ has a name, and it’s Stiles, as you clearly already know.” Stiles responded, standing up and matching pace with Derek, who tensed slightly for a fraction of a second, then relaxed as Stiles marched silently next to him.  
Within a few seconds, they walked past Stiles’ Jeep, and Derek glanced over as they kept walking past.  
They walked silently for another five minutes before Derek stopped and turned to him with a huff.  
“Why’re you following me?” He demanded, stopping abruptly to glare at Stiles.  
Stiles turned to answer him, his eyebrow quirked up, “You need a friend. I just know these things.”  
Stiles shrugged, turned back and continued walking in the direction of Derek’s place, leaving Derek standing there, brow furrowed in thought.  
A few steps later, Stiles turned and started walking backwards, “Are you coming? That bio homework is due tomorrow!”  
Before he answered, Derek looked as if he was struggling with something, then simply nodded silently and pursed his lips as he followed in Stiles wake.

It took them nearly an hour to walk, the remainder of it spent in silence. When they finally walked up to Derek’s front door, it swung open and a black hair, olive skinned woman opened the door.  
“Derek!” She exclaimed, waving a hand at the two of them.  
Derek walked up and let her hug him briefly, then disappeared inside quickly.  
Stiles held out his hand, “I’m-“  
“-Stiles, yes, Derek’s new... friend. I’m Laura.” She smiled knowingly at him.  
Stiles swallowed nervously as she firmly shook his hand, her eyes were piercing, almost like Derek’s.  
“Take good care of him, oh and, have fun!” She sang after him after releasing his hand and watching him head to Derek’s room.

Stiles shut the door quietly behind him when he noticed Derek laying face down on his bed, face buried in the pillow.  
Stiles couldn’t help but let his eyes slide across Derek’s body again, from the broad, muscled shoulders straining the straps of his tank top, all the way down his gym-wear clad body, his gaze lingering on the perfectly formed mounds that made up his ass.  
“So that was-“ Stiles started after a couple seconds of silently staring at Derek’s ass.  
“Laura, yeah. Older sister.” Derek finished, his voice muffled by the pillow.  
“She was... a little scary.” Stiles admitted as he dropped his bag in the corner.  
Derek laughed and pushed himself up from the bed, rolling over to swing his legs over the edge.  
Stiles stopped and stared, he had never heard Derek laugh, ever. The deep, sonorous laugh instantly stirred Stiles loins, and he busied himself extracting his book from the backpack to keep from getting further aroused.  
“Ok, so it’s odd numbered problems for chapter five, right?” Stiles asked as he turned around, book in hand.  
Derek had been watching him from the edge of the bed. Stiles smiled, and flipped the book open, plopping down next to Derek on the bed.  
“I thought it was even numbers?” Derek asked, leaning over into Stiles’ space and staring down at the book, “Yeah, I glanced at it a couple days ago and it’s definitely even numbers.”  
Stiles huffed at that, “The odd ones look easier, damn.”  
Derek chuckled, “I think that’s the point, Stiles.”  
Stiles frowned and then dropped the book on the floor, sighing heavily and falling backwards onto the bed.  
“No, you can’t copy mine Stiles.” Derek preempted, turning to look down at Stiles, who had covered his face with his hands in lamentation.  
Stiles groaned and uncovered his face to grimace at Derek, “Come onnnnnn!”  
“Nope. We’ll do it together.” Derek replied firmly.  
Stiles sighed and rolled off of the bed, picking up the book up from the floor.  
Derek sighed as well and stood up, grabbing some paper from his desk.  
Stiles sat up and looked around, his eyes falling on a strategy guide on the bookshelf, “Wait, you play Halo?”  
“Uh, yeah, did you think I was lame or something?” Derek quipped as he handed a sheet of paper to Stiles.  
Stiles took the piece of paper and then placed it in his book, closing it with a snap, he stood up and declared, “Ok, we are playing Halo. Fuck homework.”  
“Uhhh...” Derek started, but Stiles cut him off.  
“Look, I’ve had a shit week. I just want to play video games with a friend. I can leave if you don’t think we are, you know-“  
Derek walked away, leaving Stiles’ mid-sentence, opened the bedroom door, and looked back at Stiles, “Well, come on already.”  
Stiles looked up at him, “Seriously?”  
“Yeah.” Derek said, raising his eyebrows expectantly.  
“Sweeeet!” Stiles exclaimed, bounding towards the open door.

They plopped down on the couch and Derek fiddled with the remote as Stiles leaned down to grab the controllers from the bottom level of the coffee table.  
“God I love this music.” Stiles commented as the theme song started to play at the title screen.  
Derek looked over at him, “Me too.” He said softly.  
Stiles smiled and handed him a controller, making sure to brush their fingers together as he did.  
Derek turned to face the TV, and Stiles noticed that his cheeks had turned just barely one shade redder. A jolt spiked down his spine as he realized that Derek might have just interpreted that brushing of fingers exactly has Stiles had meant it.  
He jerked toward the TV, his mind racing. He clamped his eyes shut for half a second to refocus, reopening them and fiddling with the controller, starting the game.  
They played for about half an hour before Derek paused the game, asking, “Want something to drink? Laura is out at the grocery store probably, so we only have like, only water and, I guess, booze.” He trailed off mumbling about the alcohol.  
Stiles eyebrows raised themselves impossibly high as he turned to look incredulously at Derek.  
“You drink? You’re like, Mister Perfect, with all your homework done and all the freedom and-“ Stiles rattled off exasperatedly.  
“Wrong.” Derek cut him off, his face darkening.  
Stiles did a double take, “Huh?”  
“I leave school whenever I feel like, it’s just happens to be at almost the same time every day. It’s not freedom, it’s a lack of fuck-giving.” Derek started, his deep voice laced with frustration, “Who even would try to stop me? My whole family is dead. Nobody seems to see anything but that when they look at me. I get away with basically anything because nobody wants to deal with ‘my tragedy’. I’ve done 167 in my Mom’s-“ He paused, grimacing and swallowing before continuing, “-my Camaro. Your dad pulled me over at 134 miles an hour on the highway out of Beacon Hills, and you know what?” Derek paused, looking at Stiles in expectation of an answer.  
Stiles, looking stunned with his eyes wide and mouth hanging slightly open, simply shrugged and shook his head.  
“He patted me on the shoulder, and told me to make sure I just stay safe and don’t endanger others as I work it all out.” Derek concluded, throwing his hands up in the air, almost in triumph, but with more than a hint of despair.  
As Stiles stared at him, Derek let out the smallest of sobs, his face immediately steeling over.  
Stiles immediately reached over and yanked Derek unceremoniously into a hug, squeezing his as much as his small frame would allow.  
Derek sniffed twice, then broke, wrapping his arms around Stiles’ back and dissolving into sobs.  
Stiles held the sobbing Derek for only a minute before Derek abruptly stiffened and pulled back, standing up jerkily and rushing into the kitchen without a backwards glance.  
Stiles waited several seconds before standing up and quietly walking into the kitchen, peeking around the corner to see Derek leaning on the island, looking down dejectedly at the two bottles of water in front of him.  
Stiles walked up and stood next to him, reaching over to take a bottle of water.  
“I lost my mom a few years ago.” Stiles admitted silently as he opened his bottle to take a sip.  
Derek didn’t respond, he remained frozen, eyes focused on the single bottle of water in front of him.  
Stiles set down the bottle, then leaned to the side slightly, pressing his arm and shoulder against Derek’s.  
Derek sighed, then asked quietly, “How do you get over it?”  
Stiles sighed as well, blowing the air out of his mouth loudly, not dramatically, but in frustration, knowing that the answer he was about to give was not going to make Derek happy or ease his pain.  
“You don’t. It sucks, but it stays with you. Sometimes it gives you strength, sometimes is makes you chug half a bottle of Jack and then curl up in your tub, letting the shower run over you as you throw up, wishing you had died at the same time they had, so you never would have had to know what life would be like without them, knowing that they’ll never-“ Stiles choked up, bracing himself against the island as he was inhaling and exhaling shakily in an attempt to steel himself against his own deluge of painful memories and emotions.  
Derek reached over, hesitating for a second before placing his own trembling hand on top of Stiles’.  
Stiles stiffened for a moment, an odd sensation running down his arm, before turning to look at Derek in surprise.  
“I’m sorry it’s so hard Stiles.” Derek whispered, sounding hurt.  
Stiles pulled his hand out from under Derek’s, making Derek drop his head in shame and embarrassment. But as Derek pulled his hand away from where it had covered Stiles’, Stiles hand shot back out, pulling Derek’s back, fingers wrapping around palms as Stiles squeezed his sympathy, and empathy, through Derek’s hand.  
After a few seconds, Stiles released his hand and stepped back, picking his water up from the island.  
“Come on, Fire Team Crimson has more Covenant to eliminate.”  
Derek smiled softly and followed him back to the living room, where they both dropped to the couch and began to play again.


	4. One Hundred Fifty-Two Miles per Hour

Nearly two hours later, Derek stiffened and looked towards the living room window, “Laura’s back.” He declared, pausing the game and then standing up to turn off the console.  
“Derek, what-“ Stiles began to ask before Derek hushed him, reaching over and grabbing his forearm.  
Derek glanced down at where he had grabbed Stiles and immediately let go, as if hit by an electric shock.  
“Let’s go, I can take you home.” Derek declared, putting his controller back and then standing up.  
Stiles looked around in confusion, “What? But, my jee-”  
“Let’s go, ok?” Derek insisted, motioning for Stiles to follow.  
“Um, ok... Let me grab my stuff.” Stiles said, looking crestfallen.  
Derek waited for him to return, then led him to the garage, grabbing a set of keys and a single key on a long chain from the wall as he opened the door.  
Stiles stopped short to stare at the gleaming black Camaro in front of him.  
“Come on!” Derek insisted, motioning vigorously for Stiles to hurry to the passenger side.  
Stiles hurried, although the circumstances utterly bewildered him, and swung himself into the passenger side.  
Within a second, the engine roared to life, and Stiles looked over, stunned at the genuine smile of joy plastered across Derek’s face, his hand gently caressing the dashboard.  
Stiles smiled secretly, relishing in seeing Derek’s true face, one that was beautiful and loving, yet hurt and on the defensive.  
He was jolted forwards as the Camaro roared backwards through the garage, down the driveway, and drifted out into the street.  
Stiles yelped pressing one hand into the dash, the other gripping a handle above the door, “Holy shit!”  
Derek laughed, deep and rumbling, “I’m a performance driver. Fuckin’ amazing reflexes and all that.”  
Stiles collapsed back into his seat like wet spaghetti, “How the actual fuck did you do that?”  
Derek shifted them into drive and rocketed down the back road.  
“Dude, this is my baby, I have a supercharger with a two stage intercooler that’s chilled by a CO2 system, which also chills my fuel line and a custom glycol flush tank for the intercooler.” Derek proclaimed proudly, a noticeable puff forming in his chest as he pulled a key out from around his neck.  
“What the hell does that even mean?” Stiles asked, looking over at Derek in incredulity.  
“Well, all that means she hauls ass. The fact that I have a custom tuned, four stage dry nitrous system means that she hauls every ass, everywhere. I have the Queen of Vehicles.” He informed Stiles, a loving smile crossing his face as he inserted the key into a panel on the center console.  
“Oh, so you don’t need friends or a girlfriend because you have your car Queen!” Stiles chortled.  
Derek turned the key and an audible alarm went off.  
“The fuck?” Stiles looked down at the panel, which had lit up, flashing yellow, then switching to a steady red.  
Derek looked at him and said, “This is the first time that I’ve driven it in months and you’re the only person I’ve voluntarily let in here since... yeah. ”  
Stiles quieted for a second, before quietly stating, “I could’ve walked home, and I wouldn’t have had any problem with-“  
“Dude- fuck, seriously. Are you blind? God damn.” Derek burst out, pushing the red button on the panel, setting off a different alarm sound.  
Derek floored the accelerator, slamming them both back into their seats, the alarm ending a couple seconds later.  
“Ok, so I’ve been through crazier shit that this, but I’m pretty sure that’s reading at like, a hundred forty seven...”  
“Hundred fifty two, based on my HUD.” Derek quipped as he looked down the road, his face unreadable.  
“So, you’re setting a speed record for me.” Stiles said, his voice slightly apprehensive and shaky.  
Derek immediately took his foot off the gas and gently applied the brake, his grin of enjoyment breaking down and morphing into a concerned frown as he prepared to downshift with the reduction in their speed.  
“Sorry, I just-“ Derek said, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel.  
“Dude, no, that was fantastic!” Stiles exclaimed excitedly, clapping his hands together, beaming over at Derek, whose face morphed quickly from crestfallen to hopefully optimistic to downright joyful.  
“My turn to give you a ride.” Derek said as they slowed down and turned into a neighborhood.  
“Wait, you know where I live?” Stiles asked incredulously as Derek turned off the back road onto the main highway, headed in the direction of Stiles’ neighborhood.  
“Uh, yeah. Your dad, well,” Derek paused, drumming his fingers on the steering wheel nervously, “he and I talked after the fire. We talked a lot. He always had me over when you were out, or at school, but he talked about you and- and your mom.” Derek paused, grimacing at the awkward admission as he stared out the windshield.  
Stiles remained silent for a minute, staring out the window as the familiar houses passed by.  
“Did it help?” He asked quietly as they pulled up to his house.  
“Well, not exactly.” Derek paused, parking the car at the curb before adding, “It wasn’t, really, well, real to me, I guess, until you said what you said in the kitchen. Then it all kind of came together in my mind.”  
Stiles looked over, a pitying look crossing his face.  
“Now I don’t just know that there’s someone else who understands, I feel like there’s someone who understands.” Derek said quietly, turning to look Stiles in the eye.  
“It just- it’s nice, well, not exactly nice, but- comforting, I guess, knowing that there’s someone I can talk to.”  
Derek paused, frowning and dropping his gaze.  
Stiles reached over and ran his hand along Derek’s arm, quickly and lightly, withdrawing his hand almost as quickly as he had reached out to comfort Derek.  
Derek looked over and his face softened, a nearly imperceptible smile cracking his lips.  
Stiles extended a hand, and Derek looked down at it, his brow furrowing.  
“It’s a cell phone, and it’s how you’re supposed to stay in touch with people that you, you know, like.” Stiles explained sardonically as he held his phone out.  
Derek snickered and took the phone, entering his contact information before handing it back to Stiles.  
“You’re a dork.” He said teasingly.  
“Yup! Also, good, now we can hang out without having to either ditch class or nearly run you over.” Stiles declared heartily.  
Derek laughed and then said, “Get the fuck out of my car Stiles. Tell your dad I said hi, and that I’m down for dinner. He invited me a couple months ago.”  
“Uh, sure. You do realize that I do all the cooking. At least, all the good cooking.” He said, emphasizing the ‘good cooking’ portion.  
“Yeah, your dad mentioned that the most I should expect from him was a custom order delivery pizza. I laughed and didn’t believe him, but now I guess...” Derek reminisced fondly.  
Stiles threw his head back and laughed, “Yeah, I do the cooking, he does the sneaky fast food on the weekends when I’m at Scott’s, and he thinks I don’t know.”  
“Scott McCall?” Derek asked, glancing over surreptitiously.  
“Wait, you know Scott?” Stiles asked in surprise.  
Derek rolled his eyes, “I told you I watch the lacrosse practices, hoping that I can qualify for next year, like I said.”  
Stiles breathed out, “Ohhhh, yeah. So, Scott is my best friend, and now, over the summer, all that, uh, extra training made it so he could qualify and all that.”  
Derek nodded, an impressed look crossing his face, “I could use more practice myself.”  
“Maybe you could join us some weekend?” Stiles asked hopefully.  
“Maybe.” Derek said noncommittally, turning and looking out the windshield.  
Stiles nodded, looking a bit crestfallen, then opened the door to climb out.  
“See you later Derek.”  
“Yeah, see ya.”


	5. The Fifth, But Not Last

When he got a text from Derek the next day stating that he decided to finally start driving his Camaro to and from school each day, Stiles was disappointed, although happy that Derek was no longer subjecting himself to the elements like he had. He replied with a cheery text, but didn’t feel like his heart was really in it. There didn’t seem to be any good excuse to hang out with Derek anymore, and that hurt.

The following Friday, however, he got another text from Derek, asking if he could come over that afternoon to do homework and hang out.  
Pumping his fist in triumph, Stiles replied, keeping his enthusiasm in check as best he could. He grimaced in pain, putting a hand to his shoulder where Scott had playfully punched him during the last full moon, leaving an accidental, yet deep, bruise.

There was a telltale rumble of a high-power engine growing louder through his bedroom window as Derek drove up. Stiles hopped up from his desk and rushed downstairs, pausing to quickly check his hair in the mirror.  
Stiles flung the door open, which did nothing to help his arm’s pain, and beamed out at Derek as he walked up the porch steps, “Hey dude!”  
“What’s up?” Came the measured reply as Derek walked inside.  
“Nothing yet. Wanna get to it so we can get done sooner?”  
“Absolutely. I can’t believe we have essay questions for homework.” Derek huffed, shaking his head.  
Stiles leaped to take three steps at a time, and missed.  
As he fell backward, Derek threw his hand out in front of him catch Stiles and break the fall.  
The moment Derek’s hand hit Stiles’ shoulder, he yelped in pain.  
“Jesus, are you ok?” Derek exclaimed after Stiles steadied himself, cradling the injured shoulder.  
“Yeah, yeah, just a lacrosse injury from last week.”  
Derek paused, then murmured, “Stiles. That’s not a lacrosse injury and we both know it. You seriously,” he strongly emphasized the word, “can’t lie to me.”  
Stiles paused for a few seconds to process this, a look of understanding dawning across his face before he inhaled sharply, “Holy shit Derek!”  
“Yeah.” Derek replied simply, turning away from Stiles, whose eyes were glued to him.  
Stiles audibly swallowed as Derek looked up at him, locking their eyes together. As he looked deep into Derek’s eyes, they flared to the brightest, most beautiful gold that he had ever seen. He gasped slightly as Derek’s eyes glowed incandescently.  
“Holy shit, like- like Scott, but- you-“ he breathed, clapping a hand to his mouth.  
They both slowly walked up to the kitchen, Derek’s expression nearly unreadable as Stiles scrutinized him every step of the way.  
As Stiles appraised Derek, giving him an excited look, Derek returned it with a significant, although simultaneously exasperated, look when Stiles finally spoke.  
“You- Holy- I mean- fuck Derek!” Stiles sputtered in exclamation.  
“I know...” Derek said, standing up and hunching his shoulders in embarrassment and self-consciousness.  
“Derek?” Stiles asked as he walked away.  
“Sorry. I didn’t meant to freak you out.” Derek said as he headed towards the table.  
“Derek!” Stiles exclaimed, scrambling to follow.  
“No, Stiles. You didn’t see anything, it was a trick of the light.” Derek said, without looking at him.  
“What? Why?” Stiles hissed, taking a couple large steps to make up the distance between them.  
Before Derek could reach the table, Stiles grabbed his shoulder and spun him around.  
“What the hell was that?” Stiles demanded.  
“Nobody can know, Stiles, nobody!” Derek whispered furiously, looking almost panic-stricken.  
“Ok, ok Derek. I won’t tell, ever.” Stiles said reassuringly, squeezing the shoulder he had been holding.  
Derek exhaled in relief, nodding his head slowly.  
Stiles smiled at him, then let go of his shoulder to head to the fridge.  
“Why’re you so on edge about that? Other than the obvious ‘people-can’t-know-cuz-they’d-freak’ bit?” He asked with on hand on the fridge handle.  
“I have some of that flavored fizzy water, if you’d like?” Stiles said, going ahead and pulling the fridge open when Derek didn’t respond.  
After a moment there was a “Yeah.” from Derek as he breathed out, dropping into a chair with a thump.  
Stiles sat down at the table next to him, opening the water with a sharp hiss.  
“Why do you like me?” Derek asked quietly, punctuating his question by opening his water as well.  
“I guess I’m a sucker for loners, like Scott.” Stiles shrugged, snickering quietly.  
“You know what I meant. You like me, and I can tell.” He replied pointedly.  
At these words, Stiles looked away, his face blushing deeply.  
“I- uh, well, you’re really- um.” Stiles stammered, licking his lips as he fiddled with his drink, looking anywhere but at Derek.  
Derek calmly sipped his drink, waiting patiently for Stiles to finish.  
“Wow, you’re making this really hard.” Stiles said flatly, staring down at his drink.  
“Not the first time I have, apparently…” Derek muttered, rolling his eyes.  
“Oh my god. Oh. My. God.” Stiles blubbered, his eyes widening in shock as he realized Derek had smelled his arousal earlier.  
“Don’t worry. I think you’re cute too.” Derek said quietly.  
“I don’t think you’re cute dude, I think you’re gorgeous!” Stiles blurted out, turning away quickly as soon as he did, “Fuck my life…” He moaned quietly at the floor, pinching the bridge of his nose.  
After Derek remained silent for several moments, Stiles snuck a peak at him, only to find him staring at his drink, face flushed red.  
“You ok?” Stiles asked, turning a little back toward Derek.  
“Well. You’re not lying.” Derek admitted, running a finger down the side of his bottle without looking up.  
“No, um, I’m not.” Stiles said sheepishly, giving him a small shrug, even though Derek wasn’t looking at him.  
“I like your moles.” Derek said, and Stiles burst out laughing, nearly falling out of his chair.  
“I’m so, so sorry!” He exclaimed through tears of laughter, “We are both really bad at this, aren’t we?”  
“I’ve never liked a guy before, jesus dude, I don’t know what I’m doing.” Derek bit out in frustration.  
“No, no, I’m new to it too. I just-“ Stiles paused, looking down at his arms, “My moles? Seriously?”  
“The one on your left cheek.” Derek said, still staring at his drink, unmoving.  
“Why?” Stiles asked curiously.  
“I don’t know. I just-“ Derek looked over, his eyes sliding across Stiles’ face, first pausing on the mole, then on Stiles’ lips.  
Just as Stiles opened his mouth, Derek’s head swiveled towards the front door, “Your dad is home.”  
“Yeah, it’s about that time.” Stiles leaned forward, taking a sip from his drink, “Stay for dinner.”  
“I can’t. Laura is expec-“ Derek started.  
“That wasn’t a question. I want you to stay.” Stiles reiterated, reaching over and putting his hand over Derek’s.  
“I- ok.” Derek said as the front door clicked open.  
The sheriff walked in, looked into the kitchen and chuckled, “So that’s why there is a black Camaro in my spot on the driveway.”  
He began to take off his utility belt as Stiles stammered to explain, “We were going to do biolo-“  
His father held up a hand, “Doesn’t matter to me, as long as Derek is staying for dinner.”  
Mouth agape, Stiles looked between his dad and Derek, fidgeting awkwardly with the drink in his hand.  
“I’ll cook tonight, you two go hang out, play video games, or whatever you kids do these days. Go.” He said lightly, walking into the kitchen and waving them off as they both stood.  
Stiles looked a bit taken aback, but didn’t argue, waving towards the stairs. Derek looked back at the sheriff, who nodded almost imperceptibly, and headed upstairs.  
“Don’t worry, I won’t poison you two, I’ve learned a bit by watching you.” The sheriff admonished his son, who had just turned back and opened his mouth to comment.  
Stiles nodded and followed Derek upstairs.

When Stiles walked into his room, he found Derek holding his lacrosse stick, pressing his fist into the ball pouch.  
“Hasn’t seen much use.” He noted, feeling the webbing’s tautness.  
“Well, I’m terrible, as you should know, having watched the practices.” Stiles admitted nonchalantly as he walked over and sat on the bed.  
“You just need to be more graceful and stop tripping over yourself.” Derek replied, handing the stick to Stiles.  
“Oh, yeah, that’ll be the day!” chortled Stiles in response, rolling his eyes.  
Derek eyed him, “You joined the team for Scott, didn’t you?”   
Stiles tilted his head, “Yeah, how’d you guess?”  
“You’re really, really not graceful Stiles.” Derek said, trying, and ultimately failing, to suppress a snicker.  
Stiles glared at him before he continued, “But you’re a really good friend, doing all that.”  
“What do you mean?”  
“Going out on the field for practice, knowing that you’re not going to be good. You do it for Scott, to help make him more comfortable.” He paused, “Like I said, you’re a really good friend.”  
Stiles smiled, looking down at his hands, “Yeah, I guess.”  
Derek sat next to him, “I... could use a friend like that.”  
Stiles’ grin widened, and he looked over at Derek, who bumped their shoulders together lightly.  
“So about the mole on my cheek...” Stiles started, a mischievous glint in his eye.  
“Oh no. No, no, no. I am not talking about your moles again.”  
“Even though you like them?”  
“Especially because I like them.”  
“Afraid of something?” Stiles giggled.  
“No. Stiles, I really like you. You’re kind, to everyone, and it’s not something I’m used to. I’m used to those pitying glances and hushed, sad whispers.” He stopped, sighing deeply.  
“Yeah, that’s what it’s like in the beginning. Eventually they forget, and stop treating you differently.” Stiles told him, reminiscing about his own experience after losing his mother.  
“And until they do?” Derek asked, looking over at Stiles, his thick eyebrows raised expectantly, betraying his desire to be treated normally.  
“Well…” Stiles trailed off, looking back at him, then reaching for his hand, “There’s always this, I guess.” He squeezed gently.  
“I like that.” Derek admitted, a small, warm smile crossing his face.  
“Me too. Weird.”  
“How so?”  
“I always thought I’d be holding Lydia Martin’s hand like this.”  
“Lydia Martin? Seriously? She’s so…”  
“Hot?”  
“I was going to say bitchy, but yeah, I guess.”  
Stiles roared at this, sliding off the bed with a whump as he landed on the carpet.  
“You are so right!” Stiles cackled from the floor.  
Derek slid off the bed as well, joining him.  
“Halo?”  
“Definitely. We never got to finish that one chapter last week. Let’s do this!”

 

“Hey you.” Stiles said quietly, dropping into the chair across from Derek at the library.  
“This ‘you’ has a name, and its ‘Derek’.” He quipped back with a smile.  
Stiles gently kicked him under the table and stuck his tongue out, “Whatcha reading?”  
“Just looking at this book on biomechanics. Didn’t realize the library here actually had college level material.”  
“Bio-what?” Stiles replied, raising an eyebrow and craning his neck to take a look.  
“Biomechanics. It’s the study of how joints and things move, from the perspective of physics, when exercising and doing sports.”  
“Whoa, cool. Why’re you reading that?” Stiles asked, sounding impressed.  
“I like working out-“ He started.  
“Really?” Stiles jested, wagging his eyebrows seductively.  
“-and for training.” Derek finished flatly, looking unimpressed with Stiles’ flirtation.  
“Training? Like for lacrosse?”  
“No, like what you saw in my Camaro last week.”  
“Oh? Oh!”  
“Yeah, well, we have to defend ourselves.”  
“I see.” Stiles said, a hint of concern in his voice.  
Underneath the table, Derek gently rubbed his foot against Stiles’ leg, “Don’t worry about it, ok?”  
“If you say so.”  
“I do.”  
“Ok, come on, let’s ditch and go grab, I don’t know, ice cream or something.”  
“Did you just ask me out on a date?”  
Stiles face reddened and he looked around for eavesdroppers, “Yes, Derek, I’m asking you out. Jesus. Make it more awkward, thanks.”  
“Ha, ok let’s go.” Derek closed the book with a snap, quickly stuffing it in his backpack and standing up.

 

As they left the library, Derek reached over and pulled Stiles by the hand towards the wrong side of the parking lot.  
“Dude, I’m parked over there.” Stiles said, pointing back over his shoulder.  
“I know. My car.”  
“You drove here?”  
“Yeah. I finally decided I could.” He paused, looking down at Stiles’ hand, “Punishing myself won’t bring them back. You were right that first day.”  
“You heard me?” Stiles chuckled, “Of course you did. Every single-“ He groaned, “Every. Single. Thing.”  
Derek snickered, “It was very flattering. At least you didn’t hear what Laura said the first time you came over.”  
“Oh god, what did she say?”  
“So, and I quote, ‘Remember that you don’t have to use protection.’” He grimaced, flushing red, all the way to the tips of his ears.  
Stiles came to a dead stop, “What the actual-“  
“It’s true. We can’t contract or carry diseases of any kind.”  
“I’m so glad I don’t have siblings sometimes!” Stiles roared, even though his face too had flushed.  
“She makes things so awkward on purpose. I hate it.” Derek gritted out as they got to the Camaro.  
With a shrug, Stiles walked around to the other side of the car and climbed in.  
As Derek shut the door, he looked over at Stiles, who was grinning broadly.  
“What’s got you so happy?” He inquired.  
“I’m excited to ditch class to go on a date with this ridiculously attractive wolf-man I recently met.” He replied playfully.  
Derek snorted, “You really are a dork. Let’s go.”  
The engine roared to life and Derek rushed out of the parking lot in the direction of downtown Beacon Hills.

 

Five minutes later, the pair were walking up to an ice cream shop on Main Street.  
“God it’s beautiful out, no rain, no clouds, a nice breeze…” Stiles commented, inhaling deeply and smiling.  
“Yeah, days like this are wonderful for running in the woods or just relaxing on a swing set.” Derek agreed with a nod.  
“A swing set?” Stiles asked, and Derek simply shrugged.  
They ordered their ice cream, butter pecan for Stiles, and triple chocolate for Derek.  
“How are you so fit?” Stiles asked, eyeing Derek’s cone.  
“How are you so lean?” Derek quipped right back.  
They both shrugged simultaneously and laughed.  
“Come on.” Derek said, walking a bit faster, making Stiles jog for a moment to catch up.  
They headed towards the downtown park, Derek leading the way.  
When they finally arrived, Derek headed straight for the swings at the far end, Stiles in tow, shaking his head as he giggled.  
“You’re a closet romantic aren’t you?”  
“Shh!”  
“Called it! Ha!”  
Derek rolled his eyes and slurped on his ice cream before plopping into one of the swings.  
Stiles sat next to him, licking up a drip that had begun to run down his cone.  
They both began to gently swing as they ate their ice cream, occasionally looking over at each other and smiling.   
The silence was pleasant, comfortable, not at all awkward like the first time Stiles had driven him home.  
Eventually, Stiles decided to break the silence, telling Derek, “You know, this is actually the first real date I’ve ever been on.”  
Derek turned and raised his eyebrows in surprise, “Seriously? Thank god. Me too.”  
“No way!” Stiles exclaimed, shaking his head in disbelief.  
“Yeah. Dating is hard for…”  
“Your kind. Yeah, I get it.”  
“At least someone finally does.” Derek smiled at him, his brilliant white teeth glittering in the sunlight.  
“Hey, you have a bit of…” Stiles trailed off, reaching over and wiping a bit of chocolate off of Derek’s chin.  
He looked at his finger, then sucked the chocolate off of it.  
“Holy crap, that’s good!” He exclaimed, after pulling his finger out of his mouth.  
Derek’s eyes were wide, staring at Stiles’ mouth. The tips of his ears had started to turn red.  
Stiles stared for a moment at Derek before turning his attention back to his own ice cream, which was almost gone.  
He chomped down on his cone, munching away at the last remnants as he accelerated himself higher and higher.  
Derek matched his pace on the swing, perfectly balancing the cone he was still licking, not spilling a drop.  
With a grin, Stiles looked over as the two swung higher and higher, nearly reaching the peak of the swing set.  
Derek wagged his eyebrows, then winked, finishing off the rest of his ice cream and smoothly doing a back flip out of the swing.  
Landing gracefully was no problem for Derek, although it was for Stiles, who flung himself out of the swing and landed with a tumble, coming to a stop on his back.  
“Ouch.” He said to the sky from where he lay.  
Derek bounded over in concern, “You ok?”  
“Yep.” Stiles said shortly, clearly having had the wind knocked out of him.  
Derek held out a hand, which Stiles took, and hauled him off the ground, causing him to stumble forward, right into Derek’s arms.  
“Oof.” Stiles huffed into Derek shoulder as he supported the off-balance Stiles.  
After steadying himself, Stiles stepped back half a step, essentially putting him nose-to-nose with Derek.  
Still holding Stiles by the shoulders, Derek looked him up and down before brushing his shirt off.  
“Your dad would kill me if you got hurt because of me.”  
“I can actually take care of myself, you know.”  
An odd look crossed Derek’s face, “Yeah, I don’t doubt it.”  
Stiles raised a skeptical eyebrow at his comment.  
“I’m serious!” Derek said, stepping back from Stiles and raising his hands in surrender.  
Stiles gave him a small smile before holding his hand out for Derek to take.  
They walked back to the car, hand in hand.  
“So. As far as first dates go…” Derek said uncertainly  
“I’m definitely down for a second, I mean, if you are.” Stiles replied, smirking over across the center console.  
Derek nodded silently, a warm glow suffusing his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Stay tuned for the epilogue hehe ^_^


	6. Epilogue

Stiles adjusted his tuxedo nervously, fidgeting with his sleeves as he examined himself in the mirror.  
“You look fine Stiles, relax.” His dad admonished from the top of the stairs, knowing what Stiles was doing in his bedroom, “Derek should be here in a minute or two.”  
Stiles smiled at the mention of his boyfriend’s name, and he decided that yes, he did look good. Damned good.  
The doorbell rang, making Stiles jump and curse. He ran his fingers through his unruly hair once more before rushing downstairs.  
He clomped to a halt at the bottom of the stairs, and his mouth fell open. Derek in a tuxedo, holding a rose, nonetheless, was waiting for him in the living room.  
As soon as he saw Stiles, his eyebrows shot up as he examined this never-before-seen side. Stiles in formal clothing and not a plaid something or other was quite the change, and an extremely sexy one based on Derek’s reaction.  
“Here.” He said, handing the rose to Stiles, who brought it to his nose and inhaled deeply.  
“Wish I could smell it like you can.” He murmured so that his dad wouldn’t hear, “Is it from your backyard?”  
“Yeah.” Derek nodded shyly as he watched Stiles take another deep sniff.  
“It’s perfect, thank you.”  
Derek blushed and smoothed his jacket somewhat nervously, glancing over at the Sheriff.  
“No curfew tonight. Just be safe.” He told them, looking Derek dead in the eye.  
“Seriously!?” Stiles exclaimed, looking between the two of them, “You’re the best!”  
“Just. Be. Safe.” John intoned, fixing a deadly serious gaze on Stiles.  
Stiles nodded reverently, then took the hand that Derek held out for him.

 

As they were about to turn down the highway to head towards the school, a Porsche flew by, cornering the turn around them, cutting them off and screeching down the road.  
“Jackson...” Stiles bit out, narrowing his eyes.  
“Hold on.” Derek said darkly, extracting that one key from his pocket with an almost evil grin.  
Derek inserted the key into the panel and turned it, priming his car. Just after they turned the corner, he floored it, he engine roaring almost deafeningly. The sliver speck that was Jackson rapidly grew larger as they went faster and faster.  
Derek shot passed him, giving him the finger as they did. Jackson was left in the dust, but not for long. As they rocketed toward the school, Derek focused on the road, his knuckles whitening on the steering wheel as he kept Jackson from passing him.  
They drifted around the corner and took the teacher’s entrance into the parking lot, Derek car spinning to a stop, perfectly inside the spot that Jackson always took in the lot.  
Jackson pulled up and slammed to a stop next to them, flying out of his car in a rage.  
As Derek opened his door, he calmly turned to Stiles, “One sec.”  
He stepped out as Jackson began yelling and screaming, up until the point where Derek stepped right up to his face, without uttering a word, standing nearly three inches taller. Jackson trailed off, cowing to Derek’s large presence before Derek silently turned away and went to the passenger door, opening it for Stiles.  
With a smile, Derek held his hand out, and Stiles took it as he stepped out of the Camaro.  
Jackson sputtered when he saw this, pointing at the two of them, “But- what- Stilinski? The hell?”  
“Oh, yeah, that’s right. Whittemore, you know Derek Hale, my prom date... and boyfriend.” Stiles said nonchalantly as he looked over at Derek with a warm smile.  
Jackson looked positively apoplectic, mouthing wordlessly and pointing between the two of them.  
He closed his mouth and his face screwed up in anger before bursting out, “That’s still my spot, move your piece of shit domestic!”  
Stiles eyes widened as he looked over at Derek. Insulting the car was one of the worst things anyone could do, and he was bracing himself for the fury that was soon to flow from Derek.  
“Actually,” Derek began coolly, reaching into his pocket, “I think you’ll find that is no longer the case.”  
The trunk popped open and Derek walked around, extracting something before closing the trunk.  
A small folding stand sign was under one arm, a piece of paper in the other. When he flipped the sign open and placed it behind the Camaro, Jackson’s face turned purple.  
“You can’t do that!” He screamed, pointing at Derek.  
Stiles peeked around and looked at the sign, which read, “Spots 1 & 2 - Reserved for Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski”  
Stiles roared in laughter when Derek handed a piece of paper to Jackson and began to quote the document, “In consideration for the considerable donation made by the Hale family to the Beacon Hills High School lacrosse team, the school hereby reserves teacher and faculty lot spots one and two for Derek Hale and Stiles Stilinski.”  
Jackson viciously wadded up the paper and chucked it at Derek, who smoothly caught it and slung it right back, pegging Jackson, who had zero time to react, right in the face.  
Stiles doubled over, roaring in laughter as the events unfolded, nearly unable to breath through the gasps of uncontrolled laughter.  
“I think you’ll find, Mister I-have-a-Porsche, that my family has more power than yours ever will. Park in either of those spots, and I’ll have your slow-ass import towed. I dare you to try me- us.” Derek finished acidly before looking fondly over at Stiles.  
Jackson stood there, unable to comprehend or process what had just happened to him.  
With a shrug and a smirk, Stiles turned to head into the school. Derek gave a sarcastic salute to Jackson before following his date.  
“You know,” Stiles said as they walked in, “I’m glad I almost hit you that one day.”  
“Never thought I’d say something like this, but I am too. Just really glad it was a near-miss.”

Stiles was grinning from ear to ear as they walked through the gym, hand-in-hand, making virtually every head turn. People began whispering to each other as the pair went and got punch.  
“So, Derek.” Lydia said sweetly, approaching them from behind while they were busy at the punch bowl.  
“Lydia.” They both acknowledged her flatly before walking away to an empty table.  
She shook her head, taken aback by how they had spoken to her, then turned on her heel and stalked after them.  
“What’s the deal with you two? Did you lose a bet Derek?” She asked pointedly, not bothering to acknowledge Stiles’ existence.  
“I was about to ask you the very same thing about Jackson.” Derek replied, not glancing up at her, but over to Stiles, who snickered.  
“Dating the captain of the lacrosse team is definitely a win, whereas you seem to be scraping the bottom of the barrel.” She said with a small laugh.  
“Well, at least I’m dating Stiles for something other than his temporary, rather immaterial, high school title. When was the last time you had anything other than what could only be described as the dullest conversation on the planet with your boyfriend?” Derek asked before taking a pointed sip.  
“Come on, let’s dance. I’m bored with... this.” Stiles said, waving his hand towards Lydia without even sparing her a look.  
“Oh, my pleasure!” Derek said, flashing his glittering smile at Stiles as they stood and headed to the dance floor, leaving Lydia behind them, speechless and glaring at their backs.

The song playing was slow, fortunately for Stiles, who still was just as ungraceful as ever. Derek led, placing his hand on Stiles’ hip, then sliding it down so it just barely rested on the top of his butt. He smirked at Stiles as the began to move, the steps jerky and uncoordinated at first.  
Eventually they found their rhythm, and Stiles stopped stepping on Derek’s feet, much to both of their relief.  
“Hey.” Derek said softly when as the song wound down.  
“Yeah?” Stiles replied, raising his eyebrows slightly.  
Derek leaned forward just as the music ended, and pressed their lips together for the first time, then dipped Stiles backwards.  
The moment froze, and neither one of them thought of anything other than each other. Derek was finally happy again, and both he and Stiles knew, and were grateful, that it had all started with a near-miss in his faithful blue Jeep, Roscoe.


End file.
